Teotitlan del Valle, Saturday morning, May 8, 2010
Last morning at Las Granadas B&B, 2 de abril #9, tel. 951 524 42 32. While rooms were hot in the afternoon and evening, fans helped. The bed was firm but comfortable. Breakfast will be coming soon, then a local cabbie, weaver Juana's son, Manuel, will pick us up, take us to the Sunday market in Tlacolula, come back for us at an agreed time, bring us back to Las Granadas to load up our equipaje, which has grown considerably with our rug, purse and woven cotton buys yesterday. We sat on the cool rooftop last night, drinking Havana Club with Lori from Florida and Rick from Chicago. Both now spend a good part of the year here in Teotitlan.
Teotitlan pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Teotitlan2010#
Tlacolula Sunday market was as colorful as I remembered it. Most of the brightly dressed indigenous women didn't like their pictures taken. The telephoto helped. The digital era is such an advance over 35 mm--the blurry and uncentered shots can be deleted, saving the worthy pics. It was a great game plan--for Manuel to take us to the market, back to get our stuff and deliver us to Villa Vera in Oaxaca. One last trip to the market, primarily for Mary to buy an extra bag. I also got another kilo of coffee (85 pesos). We went to Casa Oaxaca for dinner. 'Known for cooking classes. We sat on the upper patio, next to Santo Domingo Church. Beautiful sunset. Beautiful food. A great choice for our last meal of the trip.
Tlacolula Sunday market pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Tlacolula2010#
Last day in Oaxaca pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Mexico2010FinaleOaxaca#
At 5 a.m., no suburban taxi, so we took 2 cabs to the airport in Oaxaca. On arrival, I could not find my tourist visa. While Mary and Claudia got boarding passes to LA, due to my missing visa, I was only giving a boarding pass to Mexico City. Fortunately we had a 3 hour layover in Mexico City, because my remedy wasn't simple or quick. After a couple of misdirections, I was sent to Customs, where I saw a big sign that said replacement of a missing tourist card, per Mexican law, was $42. Fortunately I bypassed the long line of arriving international travelers and found my way to the immigration office, where the line wasn't long but didn't move fast. At the front of the line, I was told I had to go out of the airport, to the police station, to report my lost tourist card. I was beginning to panic, with the thought of spending half a day, Mary & Claudia facing boarding time and me no where in sight. The police station didn't take long, but no reading glasses compounded the assignment of filling out the report with a font about size 8. Back at Immigration, I got my replacement tourist card. And, no $42 charge! A blessing. Then to Mexicana, to get the boarding pass for LA, and back to waiting Maria and Claudia, with half an hour to spare, time to cool off before the long walk to Gate 33.
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